There is still everything to play for in the second leg in Korea Republic but the Japanese side will certainly be confident after a morale-boosting comeback.

Suwon stunned the hosts by taking an early 2-0 lead but Kashima pulled one back soon after and scored two late goals to clinch an unlikely victory.

There was a sensational start as Suwon took the lead in the second minute of the game through an own goal. Yeom Ki-hun’s low corner was touched goalwards by Koo Ja-ryong and it came off Atsuto Uchida’s shoulder before crossing the line.

Unbelievably, it was 2-0 to the visitors just four minutes later. A poor defensive clearance saw the ball fall to Dejan Damjanovic and the striker surged toward goal before beating Kwoun Sun-tae from a narrow angle at his near post.

To go two goals down after just six minutes of play was not the way Kashima Antlers had planned to begin their first-ever continental semi-final, admitted Japanese star Uchida, but the J.League club roared back to record an impressive come-from-behind victory at Kashima Soccer Stadium.

Jesualdo Ferreira's high-flying Al Sadd came into the game at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium looking to exploit the absence of several key Persepolis players, but were instead left frustrated by a perfect defensive display from the visitors, before Ali Alipour struck an 86th-minute penalty to seal an unlikely win.

Looking to make a first final appearance since their title win in 2011, hosts Al Sadd started brightly at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and dominated the majority of the game but spurned a number of chances to break the deadlock.

Those missed opportunities came back to haunt the Qatari side when the Iranian champions clinched a late win with an 86th-minute penalty from Ali Alipour after the forward had been upended by goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb.

The visitors were on the back foot for most of the game, happy to absorb the pressure from Al Sadd. However, they managed to score against the run of play after being awarded a late penalty that was duly dispatched by Ali Alipour.

The result gives Persepolis a vital advantage going into the second leg in Tehran on October 23, when they will be aiming to reach the AFC Champions League final for the first time in their history.

You cast well over a million votes for your best-ever AFC Asian Cup forward, and now it's time to turn our attention to midfielders.

So, here are 10 candidates for the spots at the middle of the park. Review the nominees and then choose your favourite midfielders to set the tempo for this all-star XI in the poll below.